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4.25.2014

Chunky Turtle Ice Cream From Scoop Adventures

The rule when making caramel, especially when starting with just sugar, is never walk away from the stove. But my washing machine was singing and my sugar wasn't melting yet, so I ran downstairs to switch the laundry in the middle of making caramel. When I got back upstairs and looked in the pan, there was a small puddle of deeply browned caramel in the middle and I thought I'd lost it, but as I mixed that caramel into the rest of the sugar, the whole mixture turned a lovely deep amber, and it actually came out just perfect.

Why was I making caramel? For the base of this amazing chunky turtle ice cream, which comes from Scoop Adventures, an ice cream cookbook I recently received to review. Author Lindsay Clendaniel is an ice cream fanatic. In her introduction, she talks about her love for ice cream and how once she got an ice cream machine, she couldn't stop making the stuff. She's poured her passion into this cookbook, creating and collecting recipes from some of the best ice cream shops in the country. (There's even a recipe from Toscanini's in there.) I was invited to join the blog tour for her cookbook and make an ice cream from it, and I chose the chunky turtle ice cream, which brings us back to that caramel I was making.

The caramel gets cooked with some milk and cream and cornstarch, and this becomes the base of the ice cream.

After making the base, you have to chill it and then churn it in an ice cream maker. Then salted buttery pecans and finely chopped chocolate get mixed in to create the most wonderful combination of deep caramel notes, hints of salt, buttery crunch, and rich dark chocolate.

The resulting ice cream is just heavenly if you're into the whole salty-sweet thing… which I definitely am. After making and sampling this ice cream, I'm excited to try others from Lindsay's book. Ginger chocolate chunk and mango are high on my list.

Enter below to win a copy of Scoop Adventures, which is full of interesting and drool-worthy ice cream recipes like this one!

Caramelized and almost burnt is one of the best ways to eat sugar. Caramel has been a favorite in candies and chocolates for a long time, but more recently ice cream shop owners have discovered the goodness of using caramel to flavor ice cream. Salted caramel is one of the most popular flavors in ice cream shops today. Wholly Cow adds glorious South Carolina pecans and chunks of chocolate to their version of caramel ice cream, resulting in a sweet, salty, crunchy, chocolate-filled scoop.

To make the ice cream base, fill a large bowl with ice water. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons (30ml) of the milk with the cornstarch, whisk and set aside. Measure the sugar into a large, deep saucepan and place over medium heat. Do not touch the sugar until all edges begin to melt, then cook the sugar until it begins to brown, stirring gently and frequently, allowing the sugar to reach a deep amber color. Immediately and carefully add about ¼ cup (60ml) of the cream. Be careful: The mixture will bubble and spit when adding cream to the hot sugar; the sugar will harden but when returned to heat will melt again. Add remaining cream until complete, stirring to combine.

Return the pan to medium heat. Add the remaining milk and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes, or until all caramelized sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Pour into a medium bowl. Whisk in the salt. Set the bowl in the ice water bath to cool, 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

To make the salted pecans, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, tossing to coat the pecans. Spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until slightly toasted and aromatic. Let cool completely before adding to the ice cream.

Once the ice cream base is chilled, pour it into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When churning is complete, gently fold in the salted pecans and chocolate pieces. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

I received a complimentary copy of Scoop Adventures, but as always, all opinions are my own. The giveaway is open to residents of the United States and Canada. This post contains Amazon affiliate links to Scoop Adventures. If you follow the links to purchase the cookbook or make other purchases, I'll earn a few cents.